Imperial Armed Forces
All numbers listed here are accurate for February 2020. The Imperial Armed Forces are the military force of the Nesarian Empire. It consists of four parts; the Imperial Army, the Imperial Air Force, the Imperial Navy and the Registered Militia. Since the 1960s, the general focus across all three branches has been quality over quantity, with relatively few but exceptionally high quality soldiers. Women are not allowed to serve in combat roles in any branch of the military, homosexuals are required to report their orientation and are closely monitored, and transgenders cannot serve in any capacity. This has drawn criticism from liberals and progressives across the world. The Imperial Armed Forces should not be confused with the Imperial Order of Knights (IOK), which is also a military force. While the Emperor is Commander-in-Chief of both the IAF and IOK, the IAF is de facto controlled by military institutions and swears dual loyalty to the Emperor and the Empire, whereas the IOK is the personal retinue of the Emperor and is solely answerable to him. The Imperial Armed Forces are notorious for having harsh punishments for military crimes. Flogging is still used to punish some military crimes, including (but not limited to) assaulting an officer (30 lashes), looting (40-70 lashes), desertion (60-90 lashes) and being drunk while on duty (10-20 lashes), all of which also carry a prison sentence. Some military crimes are also punishable by execution, for example deliberately killing a friendly soldier, deliberately killing a civilian and desertion are punishable by death, and rape is punishable by 100 lashes and death. These strict rules used to be harsher and were dropped in the 1790s after it was found that the rules had an adverse effect on morale, but many were re-established during the Great Russo-Nesarian War after the Russian civilians and prisoners were treated exceptionally badly. A relatively large amount of effort and money is spent on caring for veterans, with generous pensions and an extensive physical and mental healthcare system, and subsidies are given to private organisations that hire veterans. Military culture is carefully managed to reduce the stubborn attitude typical of soldiers which normally prevents them from seeking help for PTSD and suicidal thoughts. All this has resulted in a much lower level of veteran suicide compared to other countries, although veteran suicide still occurs at a higher rate than civilian suicide. Imperial Army The Imperial Army consists of the Empire's professional land forces. Conscription was historically practiced, but since the Bloodless Revolution of 1980 it has been a volunteer force, although provisions exist within the constitution for mass conscription in the event of war. Applicants to the Imperial Army must pass a basic written exam which tests knowledge of Nesarian and simple arithmetic. Any grade below 60% is considered a fail. They must also pass a physical examination, testing for disabilities which would render them unable to serve, and they must also pass a basic fitness test. The age range of the Imperial Army is 16-45, with soldiers having to serve a minimum of 4 years before they can leave. Numbers The Imperial Army has 155,200 active personnel and 350,140 reserves, totalling 505,340. The Imperial Army also possesses the following vehicles: * Tanks: 2000 * Armoured Vehicles: 3500 * Self-Propelled Artillery: 1700 * Towed Artillery: 550 * Rocket Projectors: 600 Registered Militia Firearm laws are fairly relaxed in the Nesarian Empire, as one has access to a large selection of sometimes quite powerful firearms once they have obtained a licence. However, obtaining a firearm licence also puts the licence-holder on the list of Registered Militia, meaning they are legally obliged to answer to the Emperor's call to arms if the Empire is attacked, and obliged to place themselves under military command and discipline. Failure to respond to the call to arms is counted as desertion, which is punishable by death. Registered Militia are required to undertake a marksmanship and fitness test in order to acquire a licence in the first place, and they must additionally take them every 2 years to prove they are fit for service. The age range of Registered Militia is 18-65, although over 65s may possess a firearm licence without being on the list of Registered Militia. The Registered Militia are the only branch of the Imperial Armed Forces in which women are allowed to take up combat roles, however the age range for the women is smaller (18-40) and mothers cannot be Registered Militia. Women in general typically do not obtain firearm licences very often in the Empire anyway. Although the professional arms of the Imperial Armed Forces are capable of defence and power projection in their own right, it is the Registered Militia which are often cited as being the true force that deters foreign invasion. Although the Registered Militia are largely incapable of carrying out invasions into hostile territory, they form a huge pool of patriotic and zealous (although poorly equipped and disciplined) soldiers to resist any foreign invader. Numbers 24,762,681 citizens were reported as having a firearm licence in February 2020, which is approximately 30% of the population. 19,562,517 of these (or 79%) are within the age range to make them eligible to be Registered Militia. The equipment of these firearm owners is largely unknown, although various surveys over the years routinely report that between 60-70% of firearm owners possess a rifle, and around 30% possess a handgun.